Drop brake



Patented Mar. 12, 1929.

CHARLES J. NASH AND JACK WILSON, or arriendo,l KILLiiroIs,I AssrGNon-s To UNI- VERSAL DRAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT CO., A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

ynner BRAKE,

ApplcatoniledvDecember 10,1925. Serial .No.VMGG.

This invention relates to railway brakes, and more particularly to the winding mechf anisin thereof.

VOne ofV the objects of the invention is the provision of a new and improved mechanism for holding a drop brake staff in elevated position.

Another object or" the invention' is the provision of new and improved means whereby a brakestali' may be raised and lowered, together with'new and improved means lfor automatically securing said stall1 in adjusted position when the same is elevated.

A further object of the inventionis the provision of a new and improved brake wheel or lever and means for securing the same to the upper end of the brake stall, together with means for permitting the upper surface oi the wheel to lie flush with the floor or upper surface of the car.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a new and improved drop brake stad and associated mechanism that is cheap to manufacture, easily assembled,` eilicient in operation, composed ota minimum number of moving` parts, that is not-likely to become broken or Aget outof order, and.

one in which the staii may be raised or lowered with a minimum amount of time Other aud further objects and advantages of the invention willV appear from the tollowing description taken in connection with the accompanying)` drawings, in which Fig. l is an end elevation of a portion of a car showing the invention in position therein. with parts in section and parts broken away; y

Fig. 2 is a view at right angles from that shown in Fig. l, with parts in section and parts broken away; i

Fig. 3 a horizontal sectionv ou line 3 3 oi Figx;

` Fig'. l is a section on line 4 4 of Fig. 3, showing the brake staff in elevated position;

Fig. 5 is a vertical sectiontaken'at a right angle from that shown inFigpi-Q and Fig. 6 is a vertical section similar to Fig. et, but showing a modified form of the device.

In the use ofhand brakes onv iiat ears and the like', it '.is `frequently vdesirable vthat the brakeistalfsvbe moved to a lowered position to enable the car to be loaded as when logs, rQlGS are being transported. -It is also desirable that the means for holdingl the stati' inelevatefl position'be automatic and certain in its operation.` In theiorm of the device selected to disclose the invention the brake stall1 is moved vertically to extended'position and the latchis moved, to latching position by ,f gfravfity.`

On the drawings, the reference character 5 designates a portion of one end oi a railwaycar, comprising the end sill 6 above which is secured the floor 7- in the usual manner. A brakestaf 'support or step 8 is rigidlysecured'to said sill.` `A sleeve or sleeve member 12V is rotatably mounted in bearings 9 and 10 at the upper and lower portions of the step or support 8,- respectively. The sleeve member l2 is provided with anaxialbore angular in cross-section in which is telescopically mounted a/'brake s'taiiE 13. The brake staff is `angular in cross-section whereby the same is free to slide longitudinally of the sleeve member l2, but is prevented from turning'relative thereto. l A wheel or lever 20 is mounted on the upper end of the staff for operating the sam.

VIn the type of brake in which the staff i is not geared to the winding drum, as in the present construction', the sleeve member or other articles longerthan the car l2 is employed as the winding drum." As i shown, a short drum 14 having a spiral groove 15v is mounted on the lower end 'ot the sleeve l2. The drum 14 is considerably larger in diameter than the sleeve l2, where by during the initial turning of the sleeve the slack is readily taken up in theA brake y operating cable 171 by said drum.

On further turning of the brake staff the cable will wind on the sleeve intermediately betweenv the two bearings. This is considered au Vimportant yfeature of the invention because during the inalfapplication of thebrakes whenconsiderable force is neces saryfthe same is appliedfto kthe sleeve in such a manner that the pressure is substantially' the'same on the two bearings.

' Suitablev means are provided for holding the brake staif in elevated position while the brakes are being ap lied." Itis desirable that" the means forthis purpose rbefso constructed that Awhen the 'stall is'elevated the means' will f automiatieauy engage herstart and hold the same in elevated position. It is also desirable that this means engage beneath the end of the stad in order that the brake stati shall extend a minimum distance be.-

.as to the end sill (3.

neath the car when the staff is in lowered position.V As shown, the sleeve 12 is provided with a pocket 16 at one side thereoi. The pocket is provided with a slot 1'?, an inclined surface 18 forming a guide or slideway, and a ledge or support 19. A brake stall holding or retaining member 21 is slidl ably mounted in the pocket.

The holding member 21 comprises a brale staff engaging member 22 having a body portion 23 for engaging the side of the brake statt' tor positioning the said member and for preventing its inward movement during operation, and.` aV flange or support 24 'for engaging beneath said stall `for supporting the same. The support 211 is adapted to engage the ledge 19 when the brake is in elevated position. A handle .25 extending through'the slot 17 is provided Jor elevating' the brake stati engaging member. The slot 17 is arranged substantiallyparallel with the `inclined surface 18 where y. the lmember 22 will slideV by gravit-y down the inclined plane and the handle 25 will slide through the slot '17 when the brake statt elevated above the holding member.

The brake statt 13 is provided with suitable means for preventing the 'withdrawal ot the same when it is raised to operative position. As shown, the sleeve 12 is provided with oppositely arranged grooves 26 which extend upward 'from the bottom oi: the sleeve and terminate at 27 to form shoulders adjacent to the upper end ofthe pocket 16. The statiI 13 is provided with laterally extending projections 250. These projections may be formed by Ythe projecting ends ot a pin or bolt extending through the lower end of said stal'l.

Suitable means are provided for holding the brake statt and drum in adjusted position. 'Any suitable mjans may be employed tor this purpose. '..lis shown, a bracket is rigidly connected to the end ot the cai' A bearing 29 is joui'- naled in the bracket and this bearing is provided with an angular axial opening through which the brake `statiA extends. A ratchet wheel 31 provided with an angular opening is slidably mounted on the brake stalll 13 and is provided with crown teeth 32 which are adapted to be engaged by a pawl 33 pivotally mounted on suitable lugs carried by the bracket 28. A weight member 31 pivotally mounted on the pivot 35 of the Ypawl is adapted to hold the pawl in engagement with the teeth 32 when swung to the position shown in Fig. 1. The pivot 35 lfor the latch is adjacent to the outer end thereof whereby when the weight is turned up out of contact therewith the pawl will fall by gravity out o' Contact with the teeth 32 and permit the unwinding 'oi the brake operating chain or cable. Since the spe citie features of this brake staiii holding mechanism constitutes no part` ot the present invention it is not thought necessary to further illustrate or describe the same.

1n the operation of the device, when it is desired to apply the brakes, the stallz 13 is elevated until the projections 30 engage the shoulders 2? whereupon the brake stati' holding member 21 will slide by gravity down the incline 18 into engagement with the ledge 19. The brake stati4 is now lowered until the lower endthereot seats on the flange or support- 24, aliter which the brakes are applied by rotating the lever 2O in the usual manner.

nWhen the brake staii is in elevated posit-ion, the holdingniember 22 is held from accidental movement outward by the inclined surface 1t? and prevented from mov- .ing inward by the body portion 23 engaging the brake statil 13T 1 'lVh-en it desired to lower the brake stati' the saine is elevated along the incline sutiiciently to permit the holding member 21 to be moved upwardly and Voutwardly out of the path of thebrake statt, atter which the latter ismoved to lowered position. The handle 25 of the brake holding member 21 is preferably curved as at 36, whereby the same may be elevated by the toot of the bralieman` when it is desired. to lower the brake stad'. i j

.This type of brake stati is especially desirable on flat cars en'iployed in transportlogs, poles, metallic structures and the like that are adapted to extend beyond the end or ends of the car. ln loading, unloading and transporting long structures the brake statt, it it extends above the'iioor ot' the car, in the' way and is likely to be broken otl' or otherwise damaged. sirablc therctore that the wheel be vflush with or below the plane of the loor surface. This, is accomplished by jn'oviding a curved recess 23S in the end oi the 'ar floor 'tor receiving the wheel or lever 20. rlfhe upper surface ot the wheel has no objectionable upwardly extending projecting parts. is

shown7 the uppersurfacs oi? the hub and rim are substantially in a common plane.

Suitable means are provided for securing' the wheel to the staif whereby when the same is lowered in the recess 38 no part extends above the same. As shown7 the wheel is provided with a depending hub 39 having an angular socket L11 therein for receiving the upper end of Vthe stati 13. The hub is secured to thelstatf '13 by a bolt 42 which extends through said staff and hub, the head 43 ot said bolt being angular and seating in a corresponding opening 44 in one side of said hub. A nut 45 clamps the statt lt is dei lill against one side of the hub, the head 43 seating in the opening 44 assists materially in preventingl the removal of the wheel. By means of this arrangement the hub is not only rigidly Vclamped to the stai but is held at opposite sides from being removed.

In assembling the mechanism, the holding member 21 is first inserted from the inside of the sleeve 12. The handle 25, which is straight, is made to extend through the opening 17 after which the outer end is bent downwardly as shown in Fig. 4. The stati' 13 is inserted in the sleeve from beneath the same and the hand wheel 2Ov is then applied. y Y l The modiiied form of the device shown in Fig. 6, differs from that described above in that the slot or opening in the pocket 51 oi the sleeve member 12 is made large enough to permit the insertion vof the head 52 of the holding member 53 -from the outside. After the holding member 53 is inserted in the pocket, apin 54 is inserted jtransversely across the lowei` portion of the slot or opening 50 for preventing' the removal of the holding member and for guiding the stem or handle 55 to cause the head 52 to slide down the incline surface 18 when the brake staff 13 is elevated.

The head 52 comprises a laterally extending portion or shoulder 56 which is adapted to engage the ledge or shoulder 19 and the bottom of the staff for supporting the same,

Vand a vertical portion or stop 57 for engaging the side of the statt for limiting the inward movement of the holding member. The stem or handle 55 is similar to the corresponding element 25 described above, and like it extends upwardly and outwardly substantially parallel with the incline surface 18 whereby the holding member is free to move to holding position by a sliding movement only, when the staff is elevated above the same. The stem 55 is provided with an angular extension 58 as in the previously described construction, whereby the holding member may be raised to inoperative position by the hand or foot of the operator.

The operation of the device is substantially the same as that described above.

While we have disclosed the brake operating cable as being wound directly on the sleeve 12 it is understood that with aI geared mechanism the cable will be wound on a separate drum as is usual in such constructions. It is also understood that the winding mechanism may be operated in any position of the brake statt.V

We claim as our invention:

l. In a drop brake mechanism, a sleeve having a non-circular opening extending therethrough, a brake staff slidably mounted in said opening, a latch slidably mounted in said sleeve and adapted to slide by gravity byy a movement of pure translation into engagement with said staff for holding the same in elevated position, and a ledge for engaging the lower portion of said latch for j holding the same in operative position to support said staff.

2. In combination, a rotating brake operatingmember, a rotated member for slidably receiving said operating member, said operating member being provided with a pocket having an inclined wall, a ledge extending inwardly from the lower portion of said wall, and a holding member mounted in said pocket and adapted to slide by gravity down said inclined wall onto said ledge for supporting said operating member when the same is raised to fully elevated position.

3. In adrop brake for railway cars, a rotated member provided with an inclined surface and with an inclined opening parallel with said surface, a ledge or shoulder beneath said inclined surface, a rotating member -slidably mounted in -said vrotated member, a holding device adapted to slide down said surface into engagement with said ledge for engaging said rotating member for holding the same in elevated position, a handle on said device extending through said opening, and a foot engaging portion formed on the free end of said handle.

4. In a drop brake mechanism for railway cars, a rotatable sleeve member provided with a pocket in one wall thereof, said pocket being provided with a slot and with an inclined surface, a brake staff slidably mounted in said sleeve, a holding member slidably mounted on said incline surface and having a guiding stem extending through vsaid slot, and a pin extending across said slot for retaining said member in said pocket.

In testimony whereof we alix our signatures.V

CHARLES J. NASH. JACK WILSON. 

